


one of these nights

by ren (mattratat)



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, College AU, Friends to Lovers, M/M, More angst than expected, On Hiatus, Photographer Prompto, Slow Burn, an excessive amount of sweatshirts for a fic set during summer, and lets be real i have no self control, dancer noctis, more like phantom of the opera than originally intended, no beta we die like men, noctis isn't royalty but he's still a little shit, prompto deserves a raise for this shit, sephiroth and arydn suck in all universes, zack wasn't supposed to be this important but prompto needed a boss and a best friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-24 07:49:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14950587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mattratat/pseuds/ren
Summary: Prompto liked his life before. He liked working nights with Zack and he liked taking photos during the day. He liked it perfectly fine.But Noctis... Noctis makes himloveit.Or: Prompto makes a friend, Ignis sorely needs a break, and bad luck just keeps finding Zack around every corner.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> naming my fic after an eagles song... my dad would be so proud. 
> 
> enjoy!

The night shift wasn’t exactly Prompto’s idea of a good time, but here he was anyways, leaning against the wall and staring into space at nearly three in the morning. He knew that he should probably be doing something productive, like wiping down the walls (which were covered in the remnants of an caramel iced latte Zack had smacked right off the counter in the midst of telling Prompto about the dog that walked past the store earlier) or working on getting the pile of ever present dishes in the back cleaned. Still, knowing that he should be doing these things wasn’t enough to actually make him go and get any work done. Zack had promised to clean up the iced latte eventually, after all, and he could leave the dishes to whichever poor sucker got roped into working first shift that morning… Only three hours until that poor bastard showed up and Prompto could finally go home. He desperately wanted a nap first thing once he got back to his shitty, shitty apartment on the other side of town, but he had a set of photos he had to get finished for class as soon as he could, so it was looking like that was going to take priority for now. The slight burn of his eyeballs made him think twice about it, though.

 

“Hey, am I paying you to sit around and daydream?” A voice said, cutting into his rambling thoughts. Prompto glanced up to see Zack, his usual manager on the night shift, grinning at him despite the lecturing words he used.

 

Zack Fair was definitely Prompto’s favorite coworker and probably one of his best friends, too, despite the fact that he occasionally got over excited about small things and knocked coffee straight onto the walls. He was second only to maybe Cindy, but Prompto didn’t get to see her as often now that she had picked up a second job at one of the auto repair shops on the other side of town. It totally sucked, but he knew that she was much happier working on cars than she was stirring lattes, so it wasn’t like Prompto could really hold it against her. 

 

Anyways, it was mostly just him and Zack on nights now, although Zack’s boyfriend occasionally came in to help, even if Zack usually insisted that he wasn’t needed. Prompto wasn’t even sure Cloud was on the payroll, but his presence always seemed to help calm Zack during their busiest and most stressful nights. Zack’s hyperactive personality seemed to come hand in hand with a nasty bout of anxiety, too, so Cloud’s calming presence was always appreciated after a nasty customer or bad rush. The guy was also just nice to be around, too. He wasn’t as loud or obnoxious as Prompto and Zack were, but he was funny in his own way and made a mean iced capp for a guy who claimed to never have any barista training.  

 

“You’re not paying me,” Prompto pointed out. Zack was his manager, sure, but he didn’t own the place. The shop belonged to a guy named Sephiroth, who was quite the absentee owner for the most part. Prompto hardly ever saw the guy, but then again, he also worked obscenely late hours. No one was up then but college students and overachieving businessmen. 

 

Zack grinned and shrugged in response. “Fair enough, just grab a rag and pretend to wipe something down while you stare off into space. You know how bitchy Genesis gets when we leave him a mess.”

 

Yeah, Prompto definitely knew. He nodded, grabbing a rag out of the bucket stashed under the counter. “You got it, boss.”

 

Zack flashed him a thumbs up and retreated back into his office. Prompto started to wipe coffee off the walls. 

 

The store was fairly dead for a Tuesday morning, but Prompto didn’t mind. It was nearing four, which meant they’d start getting busy soon. The coffee shop, appropriately named Insomnia (admittedly it was named after the city, not the condition), was well known and loved for being the city’s only 24 hour coffee bistro and was often boasting at least one or two customers at all times of day. The current silence was nice, though, giving Prompto a minute to let his brain go on autopilot. He let his thoughts wander towards the photos he needed to work on and tried to think of ideas for his next shoot as Zack blared old rock music throughout the building. 

 

After a few minutes of mind numbing work, the chime on the front door rang and Prompto jerked his head up to greet the entering customer with one of his best smiles.

 

“Hi-” he started, before immediately stuttering. He tried to recover quickly (thinking god damn it, Prompto, get it together you useless gay), wiping his hands on his apron as he started speaking again, “Welcome to Insomnia! What can I get ya?”

 

The customer, for his merritt, didn’t seem to notice Prompto’s blunder at his entrance. He half returned the smile and the poor barista felt his heart stop. “Something sweet with a shitload of caffeine?”

 

Prompto already had something in mind, thanks to having a year of serving strung out and tired college students already behind him. He flashed the guy a smile and said, “I know just the thing. Any allergies?”

 

“Nope,” the guy answered, popping the p at the end of the word.

 

Prompto took the moment he needed to grab a cup to also study the customer in greater detail. The lighting provided by the shop wasn’t the best, but Prompto was still itching to just grab his camera and photograph this guy. He was gorgeous in annoyingly effortless way, with blackish blue hair falling in his eyes and framing his face  _ just right  _ and his eyes were catching the light in a way that made them look like they were glowing almost purple. The black hoodie and joggers he wore only added to the effortless look he had going on. 

 

Sadly, though, Prompto had a job to do, so he started up the espresso machine and started filling the large cup with various shots of flavoring. The guy watched as he worked, and Prompto felt himself turning red under the stare. 

 

Still, because he was Prompto, he couldn’t just keep his mouth shut and work in silence. “Up late studying?” he asked, glancing across the counter to where Edgy and Gorgeous was slouching. 

 

To his surprise, Edgy and Gorgeous seemed to turn a little red at the question, although it could have just been a trick of the lighting. He scratched at the back of his neck for a moment before saying, “Nah. I’ve been, uh, trying to beat this boss in a game and it’s taking all damn night. The screen was starting to hurt my eyes, but the save point was ages ago, so I’m kind of determined to beat it before I sleep again.”

 

“Okay, relatable for sure,” Prompto laughed, flashing him a grin as he added the espresso to the cup before going to steam the milk. 

 

“It’s kind of stupid, considering I have to work in about…” Noctis paused, pulling his phone out to check the time, “eight hours, but.” 

 

“No, I feel ya,” Prompto replied breezily, glad the milk was taking a little longer than normal to steam. He wanted to drag this conversation out as long as he could. Normally, he loved chatting with customers and helping them, but he still wanted to get the interactions over with as quickly as he could. Not so much right now, though. “I’ve totally done that before. One time, I fell asleep back in our freezer because I’d stayed up all night playing Kingdom Hearts.”

 

Edgy and Handsome laughed at that and Prompto felt his heart skip a beat. 

 

Sadly, though, that was also the moment that the milk started hissing at him, so he had to pour it in the guy’s cup. He stirred it for a moment, letting the espresso and flavorings mix into the milk before topping it off with whipped cream and lid. 

 

“Here,” he said, handing it over to the dark haired beauty on the other side of the counter, “Try this. Although you might want to blow on it first unless you want all your taste buds burnt off.”

 

The guy took it gratefully and took the lid off to blow on it for a fast second before replacing it and taking a tentative sip. Prompto waited patiently for a reaction, relieved when a small smile broke on his features.

 

“This,” he proclaimed, “is absolutely fucking amazing. What is it?”

 

“A latte with three shots of vanilla, two shots of caramel, and like pumps of sugar,” Prompto told him. “Perfect for killing your need to sleep and your sweet tooth.”

 

“I gotta remember that for next time,” the customer- Prompto really wished he’d asked for his name so he would have something else to refer to him by, but that had seemed silly when he was the only customer- said, and Prompto had to admit that he was more than a little glad to hear that he’d be returning, hopefully soon. “How much do I owe you?”

 

Prompto waved the question away, shaking his head. “It’s on the house. Consider it a thanks for making my night less boring or a good luck token to beating your boss.”

 

Something flashed on the guy’s expression that Prompto couldn’t quite figure out, but as soon as it appeared, it was gone again, and he just looked happy. It suited him. Prompto had a feeling he would give him a thousand free drinks if it would make him happy. 

 

“Thanks,” he said, looking unsure of himself for a moment. “I appreciate it.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Prompto assured him, grinning. 

 

“Have a good night,” Prompto-really-should-have-asked-for-his-name said, waving as he turned to head back out into the night.

 

“You too,” the barista called back, trying to fight back the disappointment over their interaction coming to an end. 

 

The door closed behind him, the bell chiming cheerfully over the loud music. 

 

“He was cute,” Zack blurted, startling Prompto enough to cause him to jump. His boss had a habit of randomly appearing by his shoulder like that and scaring the living hell out of him at any time. Zack easily cleared six feet and was built like a god, so Prompto really wasn’t sure how exactly he moved so quietly, but it got him every time. “You should have given him your number. Written it on the cup or something.”

 

Prompto swatted at his arm, rolling his eyes. “That would have been weird. He probably wouldn’t even be interested.”

 

A guy like that, Prompto knew, definitely wasn’t single. Not a chance. He definitely had a boyfriend, or worse, a girlfriend waiting for him somewhere. Prompto probably paled in comparison to them and, honestly, thinking about it was bumming him out. 

 

Still, he couldn’t help the tug at the pit of his stomach, and wished that he could shake the feeling that he’d just let something important walk away from him. 

 

* * *

  
  


A handful of days passed with no sign of the guy Prompto had decided to just dub as “the video game guy” returning to the store. Prompto was almost tempted to go in on his day off just in case he came by, but that seemed desperate even by his standards. Still, it was more tempting than he was really willing to admit. 

 

The days passed like they always did otherwise, with him going to work at nights and spending his mornings working on photos or playing games before sleeping and doing it all over again. His schedule was pretty cemented that way until classes started again in a couple of weeks, but he didn’t mind. It was a little lonely with all of his friends out of town for the summer, save for his coworkers, but he liked his routine overall. It was calm and the mornings spent outside taking photos sadly hadn’t given him much of a tan, but his freckles count was at an all time high, which Cindy said was cute, so he really had nothing to complain about. 

 

He was uploading photos to his website, which he’d only started to keep track of photos for class, but continued to use to stash photos on, when his phone buzzed. He grabbed it, seeing a new email notification. He didn’t recognize the sender, so he went and opened it. 

 

_ To: photosbyprompto@gmail.com _

_ From: ignis.scientia@gmail.com  _

 

_ Good morning, Mr. Argentum. I hope this email finds you in good health. _

 

_ I’m writing you on behalf of the Royal Theatre. They are in need of a photographer for their new show’s programs and, in our search, came across your website and were very impressed with your portraits. We would very much like to extend an invitation for a session, just name your price.  _

 

_ Please let me know if you’re interested as soon as possible.  _

 

_ Regards, _

 

_ Ignis Scientia _

 

Prompto read the email three times before it finally registered with him what he was reading. When it did hit him, he let out an indignant squeal, jumping his feet and spinning in a circle. He could barely wrap his mind around it and had to force himself to take a few deep breaths to control his excitement. 

 

This was absolutely  _ huge. _ People came from all over the country to see the shows put on by the Royal Theatre. The thought of all those people seeing his photos was practically a dream come true for Prompto. For a moment, he didn’t believe it was real. There must be a mistake. There was no way he was good enough to impress someone at the Royal Theatre, right? This Ignis guy must have the wrong email.

 

But, no, the email definitely said Mr. Argentum, and that was definitely Prompto.

 

Holy shit. 

 

It hit him then that he should probably send a reply. After all, Ignis did say he wanted to hear back as soon as possible.

 

He drafted the email four times before finally sending a reply.

 

_ To: ignis.scientia@gmail.com  _

_ From: photosbyprompto@gmail.com  _

 

_ Hi, Mr. Scientia! _

 

_ Please, call me Prompto. I would be absolutely thrilled to accept your proposition. I usually do sessions for about 15,000 Gil an hour. When were you thinking? _

 

_ Thanks so much, _

 

_ Prompto Argentum _

 

Prompto felt a little bad for raising the price a little, but after all, he knew that if anyone could afford the extra Gil it was the Royal Theatre. 

 

He kept refreshing his email anxiously as he waited for a reply, knowing that it was ridiculous to expect to hear back anytime soon. After all, this Ignis guy was probably pretty busy if he worked for the theatre. 

 

To pass the time while he waited, Prompto texted the good news to Zack, who responded with extreme enthusiasm and insisted he take Prompto out to lunch to celebrate, and to Cindy, who was equally happy for him. Cindy was invited to lunch, too, but she was at the auto shop for the day, sadly. It didn’t put too much of a damper on Prompto’s good mood, though. He was fairly certain that a comet could hit the other side of the planet right now and he wouldn’t falter in his cheerfulness. 

 

Prompto slammed his laptop closed before he texted Zack to let him know he was on his way to meet him for lunch, grabbing a sweatshirt before running out the door. 

 

It, thankfully, wasn’t a far walk to the restaurant Zack picked, but Prompto spent the whole trip there refreshing his email over and over again, waiting for Ignis’ reply. It made it drag, but thankfully he found himself being seated in a booth across from Zack before too long.

 

“Hey man!” Zack greeted him, holding out his hand for a high five immediately, which Prompto happily gave him. “Congrats!”

 

“Thanks,” Prompto replied, his grin spreading from ear to ear.

 

“By the way, Cloud wasn’t busy at the farm, so I invited him, too, if you don’t mind,” Zack told him, looking a little guilty, but not guilty enough to really look sorry.

 

Prompto liked Cloud, though, so he didn’t mind the other joining them at all. If anything, he was glad for the extra company. Prompto liked being around other people. The more, the merrier. “That’s great! I haven’t seen him in forever, anyways.”

 

It really hadn’t been that long, but it did feel like it had been awhile since he’d last seen Zack’s boyfriend. He hadn’t come into the shop for more than a few minutes over the last couple of weeks, usually just to say hi to Zack early in the morning before heading out to the Chocobo farm he worked at just outside of town. 

 

They poured over the menus for a long pause before their waitress returned to take their drink orders. Not long after that, a figure slid into the booth next to Zack, blond hair somehow sticking up even more ridiculously than Prompto’s own mane. 

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Cloud apologized, nodding at Prompto in greeting as Zack happily kissed his cheek in lieu of a proper hello.

 

“No worries, we’ve only been here for a few minutes,” Prompto replied.

 

“Congrats, by the way,” Cloud said as a follow up. He didn’t offer a high five like Zack did, but the slight proud hint in his expression was just as rewarding. Prompto didn’t know Cloud nearly as well as he knew his boyfriend, but he still considered them both friends, so the praise was certainly welcome in any form. Prompto admittedly soaked it up, even if it made him feel a little sheepish. 

 

“Thanks! I’m still waiting to hear back about times and everything, but I’m really excited,” he told them, flipping through the menu absentmindedly as they talked. 

 

“The Royal Theatre,” Zack said, whistling appreciatively. “That’s some big time shit right there.”

 

Cloud nodded in agreement, opening his mouth to speak before being cut short by the return of their waitress. They ordered and she let them be again, but Cloud didn’t try to say whatever he’d had to hold back, happy to let Zack take the reigns of conversation.

 

Honestly, it was one of the best times Prompto had had all summer. He didn’t get many chances to go out with friends, even if those friends were his boss and his boyfriend. It wasn’t like he didn’t have friends to hang out with, but… he wasn’t exactly swimming in them, either. So this, getting lunch with people whose company he truly enjoyed, was nice. Really nice.

 

Until Zack started teasing him about the boy from the other night, anyways. Then Prompto decided he’d rather die than stay at the restaurant.

 

“He came by last night, you know,” Zack told him, a cheeky grin on his face. 

 

“He did?” Prompto asked, curiosity getting the better of him. 

 

“Yeah, and he looked disappointed that you weren’t there,” Zack said cheerfully, twirling his pasta on his fork like a child playing with their food. 

 

Damn it. Prompto really regretted not going in on his day off after all. 

 

“I told him you’d be in the next couple of days, though,” the dark haired menace continued, grinning when he saw Prompto’s face turning bright red. “That was before he ordered, though, so I was still feeling nice and I don’t know what you made him, but it was a pain in the ass to figure out.”

 

Prompto stuck his tongue out at Zack. 

 

“Serves you right for meddling,” Cloud said, finally speaking up again after having lapsed out of the conversation momentarily while Zack had teased his poor coworker. 

 

“Thank you, Cloud!” Prompto scoffed, glad at least someone was backing him up. 

 

“You’ll thank me later,” Zack said with a shrug, stealing a fry off of Cloud’s plate. Cloud gave an exasperated sigh and made a half assed attempt to swat Zack’s hand away, but it was obvious that he didn’t really mind. 

 

Thankfully, though, the conversation moved away from the topic Prompto’s infatuation with the hot customer when his phone buzzed, finally,  _ finally  _ telling him that Ignis Scientia had sent him another email.

 

“Can I check this real fast?” he asked, not wanting to be rude and pull out his phone in the middle of their meal, but Six, he wanted to read that email so fucking bad. 

 

“Uh, duh!” Zack exclaimed, looking at him like he was an idiot. “Go on, read it! What’s it say?”

 

Cloud nodded in agreement and, Gods, Prompto was glad he had such good friends. 

 

He read the email twice, his eyes widening in surprise as he took it in.

 

“Man, the suspense is killing me!” Zack exclaimed, sounding exasperated, pouting when Cloud gently elbowed his side in response. The intervention didn’t stop him from trying to pull the information out of Prompto, though. “Come on, what’d he say?”

 

“He wants to offer me 20,000 Gil an hour if I can do the first session tomorrow as an apology for the last minute notice,” Prompto said, incredulous.

 

Zack whistled. “Well hot damn. Guess that means you’ll need the night off so you can be on your toes tomorrow, right?”

 

“What?” Prompto asked, quickly shaking his head. “Oh, no, of course not! I can still come in tonight, really.”

 

Cloud snorted at the obvious lie.

 

“Yeah, sure.” Zack rolled his eyes, but it wasn’t done with any real malice. “We’ll find someone to cover your shift so you can rest. You just gotta promise to blow those theatre nerds out of the water with your photos.”

 

Prompto grinned at him. “Thank you so much! I will, I promise!”

 

“Desert, anyone?” Their waitress asked, having returned from another table to check on them.

 

“Oh hell yeah,” Zack confirmed before promptly ordering a small feast for the table from the desert menu.  

 

Prompto and Cloud were happy enough to help him eat it all and the rest of their time passed joyously, with Cloud telling stories about the farm and more chocolate than even the three of them could handle. 

 

* * *

  
  


Prompto could hardly sleep that night and he woke up half an hour before his alarm clock went off, feeling as refreshed as he could with a bundle of nerves tearing his stomach to pieces.

 

He tried to force some oatmeal down his throat, scrolling through his phone to try and kill time by reading celebrity gossip, but time continued to drag on as slowly as it possibly could, making seconds feel like hours and hours like days before finally,  _ finally _ it was time to grab his camera and run out the door. Sure, he was definitely going to be early, but he wanted to make a good impression, so being punctual would certainly work in his favor. 

 

The train ride felt like it took forever to take him to the stop closest to the theatre, but it really only lasted a few minutes. He got texts from both Zack and Cindy telling him to break a leg and texted them both his thanks in return. He still felt like a ball of nerves, both worried and so, so excited at the same time. 

 

He practically ran to the theatre, finally able to breathe properly for the first time that morning when it came into view. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he was so thankful for the opportunity that he’d take anything at this point. The fat paycheck they were promising helped, too. It was probably for the best that Ignis had contacted him so last minute because Prompto wasn’t really sure he could handle nerves like this for too long without going absolutely nuts. 

 

Prompto opened the door to the theatre, suddenly feeling very small and out of place as he stepped inside. 

 

The outside of the building was beautiful, sure, as it was an old gothic building that was rumored to have been a church before the theatre company purchased it fifty some odd years ago. But the inside, wow. The inside was gorgeous, with just the lobby alone taking Prompto’s breath away. It had tall ceilings that seemed to go on forever, with gold staircases leading off in all directions towards the various areas for seating. The walls were painted, of course, but rather than just colors it seemed to be one huge mural spanning the entirety of the room. Posters covered parts of it, of course, advertising the various shows put on throughout the years. The building felt almost sacred, like the passion and devotion to the arts could actually ooze from the walls at any moment. Prompto felt incredibly lucky to be standing in the middle of all of it.

 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” A thickly accented voice behind him asked.

 

Prompto quickly spun to catch sight of the newcomer, having to glance up immediately to meet the man’s eyes. He had more than a couple of inches on Prompto, with glasses perched on his nose in front of green eyes that seemed to stare right into his soul.

 

“It is,” Prompto agreed quickly, nodding his head just as eagerly. 

 

“You must be Mr. Argentum then, I presume?” the man asked, holding out a hand for Prompto to shake.

 

Prompto took it cheerfully. “Please, call me Prompto.”

 

“As you wish, Prompto. I’m Ignis Scientia, the theatre’s manager this season,” Ignis told him. 

 

Prompto kind of wanted him to elaborate on what this season meant, but they had only just met and he wanted to leave a good impression, so he decided against being nosy for the time being. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

 

It really was, too. The guy was just as polite in person as he had been over email. 

 

“Likewise,” Ignis replies, his tone sincere. 

 

“This place is really stunning,” Prompto commented, mostly because he didn’t have a single clue of what to say next.

 

Ignis nodded in agreement, pushing his glasses up a little farther on his nose as he glanced around the room. “It is something special, certainly. Hopefully it’ll make a suitable backdrop for your photos?”

 

Prompto gaped at him. “Dude, I could take, like, a thousand photos here and still want to take more.”

 

“I’m glad to hear that,” Ignis said, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. Prompto felt himself relax a little more, making a conscious effort to unclench his jaw. “Most of the cast is already onstage, going through warmups and whatnot. I’ve selected a handful of scenes that I think have good moments for a photograph composition, but ultimately, you can shoot whatever you please.”

 

“Sounds great,” Prompto declared. He was itching to shrug his bag off his shoulder and get started. 

 

“Specs!” A voice called from behind them, the tone oddly familiar in a way that made Prompto’s ear twitch. 

 

Ignis turned, raising an eyebrow as he did so. Prompto turned, too, and his eyes widened when he saw who was standing in front of him. 

 

Edgy and Handsome, the guy who he hadn’t been able to get off his mind for days now, was suddenly standing in front of him in a cropped hoodie and joggers. Prompto wasn’t proud of the way his jaw dropped and quickly closed his mouth, feeling his face heat up in the most embarrassing way. 

 

Thankfully, the guy seemed to be just as surprised to see Prompto, nearly dropping the tray of iced coffees he was carrying before quickly recovering. 

 

Ignis, for his part, ignored both of their bullshit and made a pointed gesture of looking at his watch before looking back at the newcomer.

 

“Noctis, you’re late,” he said with a sigh.

 

The hot guy- Noctis- glanced away from Prompto and over at the manager, a frown pulling his lips down. Prompto felt the overwhelming urge to do something that would make him smile, but he stayed frozen in place. 

 

“I was on time, but it took me forever to find a parking spot,” Noctis protested. “Plus, I brought you coffee.”

 

“Bribery. Wonderfully becoming, Noct,” Ignis said, and although his words were harsh, his tone was softer, fond even. Prompto suspected their bond leaned more towards friendship than coworkers. 

 

He so had to text all of this to Zack the first chance he got. 

 

“Shall we get started then?” Ignis asked, turning back to Prompto. 

 

“Lead the way,” Prompto said, tearing his eyes off Noctis and giving Ignis his best winning smile. 

 

As the man led him towards the stage, Prompto threw a look back over his shoulder at Noctis, his heart skipping a beat when he realized that he was still watching him. 

 

Zack was going to have a field day with this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! thank u so much for reading this far! i was absolutely dying to write a slice of life-y (and incredibly overdramatic) college au style fic! i'm gonna try and upload every saturday! i'm actually really nervous to post this (idek why) but i hope u liked it!
> 
> big thanks to jess (restlyroaming- go check out her amazing fics!) for letting me throw ideas for this fic at her and being so kind and supportive! 
> 
> please leave a comment and kudos if u liked it, and feel free to hmu on twitter or tumblr (@renstxne)! pls i need friends smh


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> iggy’s coffee order: a large cold brew over light ice with two shots of cream, one pump of caramel, and three extra shots of espresso. not for the faint of heart. pls caffeinate responsibly.
> 
> noctis’ coffee order (as created prompto): a large caramel mocha frozen coffee with extra caramel and extra-extra mocha, a pump of sugar, whipped cream and extra caramel and chocolate drizzle in the cup and on top.

Noctis wasn’t hungover. He  _ wasn’t. _

 

Not that you could tell that by looking at him. Even Noctis wasn’t sure he would believe it himself if he wasn’t the charged party. He blinked sleepily at his reflection in the dirty mirror and raked a hand through his hair as he stared at his sorrry self, his fingers catching on knots in the longer locks. He sighed, wishing his attention wasn’t immediately dragged to the dark circles under his eyes. 

 

It wasn’t even that he really cared what he looked like, but the theatre was having that goddamn photoshoot today and Noctis knew that he’d be unfortunate enough to have to see the photos everywhere for the next few months while the show was on and  _ of course it was just his luck that he’d wake up feeling and looking the shit the one morning his appearance mattered to him. _

 

He looked over himself in the mirror once more to confirm the thought that had cemented in his mind ever since walking into the bathroom and catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror for the first time after dragging his miserable ass out of bed: Ignis was going to kill him. Noctis hoped that the obituaries would at least be kind to him. He considered what the guest list might look like, but that was a little too depressing, even for him. (And, although he wasn’t eager to admit it, it was more because he knew the list was a short one than the fact that he’d be a solid six feet under.) 

 

He sighed, pulling at his hair for a minute before giving up and tying the longest strands back in a ponytail, but sadly it didn’t do much to help with the mess that remained falling on his forehead and framing his face. He’d just have to pray that Iris, the poor costuming assistant that had gotten stuck with Noctis on her roster, would be able to work some sort of magic on him when he got to the theatre. 

 

On the counter next to him, his phone buzzed, not quite loud enough to startle him. He frowned, already guessing at who the message would be from and picked it up, eyebrows lifting in surprise when the text was, in fact, not from Ignis, but rather Gladio. 

 

Noctis liked to refer to his relationship with the beast that was Gladiolus Amicitia as friendship at best and complicated at its worst. Gladio was his dad’s best friend’s son and, despite being a handful of years older than the Caelum runt (as Gladio called him to this day), they’d grown up together. He was sort of like the older brother that Noctis had never wanted, not that he’d ever tell Gladio that. None of this, of course, explained why Gladio was texting him at seven in the morning. 

 

Noctis read the message twice before it finally clicked in his brain what Gladio as going on about and immediately rolled his eyes. Gladio was asking him to stop by one of the local coffee houses before the day’s photoshoot, promising to pay him back if he picked something up before he came in. Normally, Noctis wouldn’t have thought twice about the request and would have done it without hesitation, but there were two things giving him pause. For starters, Gladio didn’t like coffee. The second was that Noctis knew for a fact that this was Ignis’ regular coffee order (given away by the extra three shots of espresso that the man really didn’t need. Seriously, it was a miracle he hadn’t already developed an ulcer). Gladio was definitely using Noctis to try and impress Ignis, which was both sweet and annoying. Sadly, though, Noctis was pretty sure Gladio had been playing this pining game after Ignis for, like, a year now and the manager had yet to even take notice. It would probably take a god coming down and spelling it out in writing for Ignis to even take the hint at this point, Noctis guessed. It was kind of pitiful, but Gladio had yet to falter in his affections and, even more miraculously, had yet to simply give up. Noctis knew he’d throw in the towel immediately if Ignis told him to fuck off, but that would require Ignis noticing the extra attention the man always seemed to give him, so. 

 

Noctis agreed to the task, not that he was particularly happy to do so, before checking the time and audibly groaning. He was definitely going to be late. Ignis better enjoy the damn coffee, considering fetching it for him might be Noctis’ last act of life. 

 

He grabbed a pullover to throw over his rehearsal clothes and avoiding glancing in the mirror one last time as he scrambled to find his keys on his bedroom floor. It took him five more minutes of searching before he finally dug them out from under his bed, no doubt that they’d been dragged under there by Catpernicus, the fuzzy bastard. The cat in question was still curled up in a small ball on the bed, paying his owner no mind as Noctis flipped him off during his rush out of the room. 

 

He checked one last time to make sure the stupid cat had enough food and water to last him until Noctis got back later that day before all but running out the door, slamming it closed behind him.

 

Maybe, he decided about five minutes later, desperately trying to not fall asleep behind the wheel, coffee wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Admittedly, he probably shouldn’t have stayed up until well past midnight playing the new Assassin’s Creed game. Still, he was starting to see why Iggy wanted three extra shots of espresso in his iced latte. 

 

Thankfully, traffic was fairly late for a weekday morning, so Noctis made it to Insomnia in under ten minutes. It was a little out of the way and, yeah, there was a Starbucks right down the street from the theatre, but Noctis’ hands had guided the car there before his brain even realized where he was going. 

 

That had happened a couple of times that week. The first time he’d gone back to the coffeeshop, he’d told himself that it was simply because it was close to his apartment. It was just convenient. The second time he’d told himself it was because it was on his way home, even though it definitely wasn’t. The third, he had decided to just quit lying to himself and admit it.

 

He wanted to see the cute barista again.

 

Considering Noctis’ didn’t even know the guy’s name, this was kind of a dilemma. A dilemma that was starting to eat a whole in his wallet as he kept going back for coffee that was a little overpriced. He was also starting to worry his trips to the shop were about to hit stalker levels of creepy, so he’d told himself to cut it the hell out and move on with his life. Sure, the guy was cute, and had been really nice, but that was his job after all. Noctis shouldn’t let himself read into it too much, especially considering how miserable he’d ended up that last time he’d shown any interest in a guy. 

 

He tried to shake  _ that _ unpleasant stringe of memories out of his head as he got out of his car, trying to tell himself this was the last time he’d stop in for at least a week or two. 

 

Much to his relief and also sorrow, the blond barista wasn’t working today. Instead, it was the one who, according to his nametag, was called Zack. The bright smile on his face was almost cheery enough to make Noctis forget his disappointment over missing the blond barista.

 

“Morning, Noctis!” Zack greeted, practically beaming at him from the other side of the counter. Noctis, who was just surprised that Zack had bothered to remember his name, tried his best to return the smile, but it quickly turned into a yawn. “Early morning, huh?”

 

“You bet,” Noctis said, using the back of his hand to cover his mouth as he yawned again. 

 

“So what’ll it be, sleepyhead?” Zack asked.

 

Noctis ordered his own drink before pulling out his phone to read off Ignis order, too. 

 

Zack raised an eyebrow at it. “Are you sure you want that much caffeine?” 

 

“It’s for a friend,” Noctis said with a shrug before realizing he should probably get Iris and Luna something, too. “And, I’m sorry, but is it too late to add two more frozen caramels to that order?”

 

“Not a problem!” Zack assured him, nodding for Noctis to swipe his card before clasping his hands together. “I’ll get those for you now!” 

 

Noctis took a few steps back from the counter, pulling out his phone to let Gladio know that he’d be there soon enough. Gladio just sent him a thumbs up emoji in response, which Noctis decided didn’t deserve a reply before switching over to his conversation with Luna, finally opening an article she’d forwarded to him a couple of days ago. At least now he could say he’d at least looked at it.

 

Thankfully, Zack wasted no time in making his drinks and was calling his name before long. Noctis thanked him profusely for putting up with his extra ass order and Zack insisted it was no problem and Noctis felt a little guilty for having vowed to steer clear of the place for a while. 

 

He finally got the “you’re late” message from Ignis as he was pulling into the parking garage across from the theatre. And Noctis had thought he’d made pretty good time. Damn. 

 

He shot Gladio a text, telling him to get his chiseled ass over to the garage so he could grab the coffee and pretend he’d been the one to go get it. Gladio responded by knocking on his window less than thirty seconds later, scaring the absolute shit out of the poor dancer. 

 

Noctis turned on his best glare at his best friend, all but throwing the tray off coffees out the window at him. “You’re lucky I wasn’t holding that, bastard.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, scaredy cat,” Gladio replied, tugging Noctis’ door open to make his life a little easier, “Although, on second thought, you might want to be the one to give that to him. He’s not too happy with you right now.”

 

“I’m not even that late,” Noctis grumbled, kicking the door closed with his foot. 

 

“You also look like shit, Noct. Did you sleep at all?” Gladio asked, his expression suddenly turning concerned as he grabbed the younger man’s chin, turning his face for a closer look.

 

Noctis jerked his chin away, his glare returning. “Yes.”

 

Gladio’s face clearly showed that he didn’t believe him.

 

“I  _ did _ ,” Noctis insisted, “Just not well, I guess.”

 

“Is it the nightmares again?” Gladio asked.

 

Noctis was fairly certain his eye twitched. 

 

“No, it’s not,” he lied, wishing he’d never told Gladio a word about  _ that, _ “I’m fine. Seriously.” 

 

Gladio studied him for a moment with disbelief still etched into his expression, but he simply shrugged. “All right.”

 

“Thank you,” Noctis snapped, feeling guilty almost immediately afterwards. Gladio was trying to help him, but Noctis couldn’t help his defensive nature. He just wanted to get on into rehearsal already, where he could throw himself into the routines and lose himself in the music and pretend that he wasn’t one yawn away from passing out. So what if he was having trouble sleeping? If he admitted it, Gladio and Ignis would only fret over him more and that would be a waste of all of their time. “I guess I’ll give this to Iggy myself then.”

 

Gladio nodded. Noctis appreciated him giving over his chance to make himself look good in front of Ignis if it meant that the man was going to be a little less annoyed at him for being late. “I’ll meet you inside. I gotta make a call.”

 

Noctis raised an eyebrow, but he managed to keep his curiosity bay, simply saying, “All right,” before making his way out of the garage. 

 

It was a cloudy day, the kind where you just knew that rainfall was inevitable at any given moment, so Noctis wasted no time booking it across the street and into the theatre. Once inside, he recognized Ignis’ silhouette standing in the middle of the lobby with another he didn’t recognize, although there was something familiar about the guy’s easy going posture and blond hair. 

 

“Specs!” He called, hoping Ignis wasn’t actually going to be that pissed at him for being late. 

 

Ignis turned, as did his companion. Noctis felt his heart stop for a good three seconds when he realized who he was looking that. 

 

Well, this explained why the blond barista hadn’t been at the coffeeshop this morning. Noctis quickly spotted the camera bag slung over the guy’s shoulder. So this was the photographer Ignis had managed to hire so last minute. That was just Noctis’ luck. Blondie looked just as surprised to see him as Noctis was, staring at him with wide, bright blue eyes that Noctis was dying to get a closer look at and his mouth slightly agape. 

 

“Noctis, you’re late,” Iggy said with a sigh.

 

Noctis glanced away from blondie and over at the manager, a frown pulling his lips down. 

 

“I was on time, but it took me forever to find a parking spot,” he protested. “Plus, I brought you coffee.”

 

“Bribery. Wonderfully becoming, Noct,” Ignis said, but his tone wasn’t really all that unkind.  

 

Noctis shrugged.

 

“Shall we get started then?” Ignis asked, turning back to the photographer, seemingly already having forgotten Noctis’ offense. Noctis suspected he was in for a lecture later, but was happy enough to have it put off for now. 

 

“Lead the way,” blondie said, finally looking away Noctis and giving Ignis his best winning smile. 

 

“Ignis,” Noctis said, butting in for just a moment, having to half jog to keep up with them. “Coffee?”

 

Ignis blinked at him for a moment, but his eyes softened. “Oh, right. Thank you, Noctis.”

 

Noctis flashed him a thumbs up.

 

“By the way, you might want to hurry and get backstage. Iris is going to throw a fit when she sees you.” 

 

Noctis winced. He’d forgotten how rough he looked today and could definitely believe that Iris was going to shout at him when she saw how dark the circles under his eyes had gotten in just a matter of days. “Later, Specs. Nice seeing you again, blondie.”

 

With that, he turned to head back to the dressing rooms, leaving a stunned barista staring after him.

 

* * *

  
  


“Noctis! What the fuck did you do to your hair?” Iris exclaimed when Noctis entered the dressing room he shared with Luna (as per her request). 

 

“I just tied it back,” he said, frowning. Admittedly, he was a little distracted, still reeling from running into blondie again. He wasn’t sure why seeing the guy had made him feel so jittery, but he felt like he’d shot three cups of straight espresso straight into his veins. 

 

“Did you even bother brushing it this morning?” Iris fretted.

 

“No coffee for you,” Noctis declared, setting the tray on the counter just out of her reach from where she was doing Luna’s makeup.

 

Luna snorted. “Good morning, Noctis.”

 

“Morning,” he replied, collapsing in the chair next to her. 

 

“You really do look ill, Noctis,” Luna said, frowning. He glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. 

 

“Not you, too,” he groaned, dropping his head into his hands. What was it, drag Noctis day? 

 

Iris tsked from her spot, reaching over to grab a coffee. “It’s nothing I can’t fix.”

 

Normally, they didn’t bother at all with hair and makeup for rehearsals that weren’t full blown dress rehearsals, but thanks to the fact that today’s practice was doubling as a photoshoot, they all had to be looking their best. They were supposed to wear their nicest rehearsal clothing, too, but Noctis had forgotten that part, naturally, so he was wearing an old Insomnia U t-shirt that he’d cut the sleeves and some of the side off to make it tank top and a pair of joggers that he honestly wasn’t sure were actually clean. So much for looking his best. 

 

“Thanks, Iris,” he said. 

 

“No problem-o, Noct,” she replied, pulling strands of Luna’s hair out of the ponytail to frame her face more or something like that. He normally zoned out when Iris went to the trouble of explaining what she was doing, even if he tried to pay attention. And he did try, just to be polite, but he always found himself zoning out anyways. 

 

He wondered if he had time to take a powernap before Iris got to him, half listening to the girls’ conversation next to him. From the sound of it, it sounded like Iris was gushing over Luna’s new girlfriend, a girl named Aerith who, according to Luna, worked at a flower shop a few blocks away. Noctis knew the place; he went by it at least three times a week, but had never actually been inside. 

 

He had finally started to doze off to the cadence of their voices when Iris snapped her fingers in front of his face, making him jump. 

 

“Your turn!” She declared, and Noctis had to fight back a groan. 

 

“Do your worst,” he said, trying so hard not to fall asleep as she tugged his hair down and started brushing it. It took so much damn effort that he all but zoned out of the conversation, which had left the topic of Luna’s girlfriend and moved on to the dog Iris wanted to get, despite the fact that her and Gladio’s apartment didn’t allow pets. Then again, if anyone could pull off harboring an illegal animal, it was probably those too. 

 

Noctis only fully paid attention when Iris shoved her phone into his face, showing him a picture of what was possibly the ugliest dog Noctis had ever seen. It honestly looked like something he’d find in a sewer. 

 

“Isn’t she just the cutest, Noct?” Iris asked.

 

She sounded so sincere that Noctis couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth. 

 

“Absolutely adorable,” he yawned, flashing her a thumbs up. 

 

She seemed happy enough with his answer and went back to chattering at Luna, leaving Noctis to peacefully dose in peace for another few minutes before the sound of a bell rang out throughout the room indicating that they had five minutes to haul their asses to the stage. 

 

No one knew how Ignis managed to ring the bell sitting atop the building, but they’d been using it as a warning bell since the production first began. Some said he ran up and rang it himself before sprinting back down to the stage, some said it was some form of telepathy. Noctis was willing to bet it was the latter. All they really knew for sure was that it really pissed off the neighbors. 

 

Iris frowned, tucking a strand of hair behind his ears. “Well, I would’ve liked to work on your eyebrows a little, but at least you look a lot less like a zombie now.”

 

“Gee, thanks,” Noctis replied, only half aware that he rolled his eyes. 

 

“I think you look just fine, Noctis,” Luna said, trying to sound a little more upbeat than Iris did. 

 

He managed to gather a smile for her, appreciating the effort. 

 

“Come on, then, let’s get out there before Ignis has both our hides,” Luna sighed, holding out a hand for Noctis to take before hauling him out of the chair. 

 

* * *

  
  


“Noctis, Luna, run it from the start of the song again, please,” Ignis said. 

 

About three hours had passed since rehearsal began. Noctis had been more than a little distracted at first by blondie, who Ignis had introduced as Prompto, snapping pictures at the speed of lightning from any and all angles he could get to. They’d run through most of the first act nearly three times now, with Prompto occasionally asking if they could stop and run something again so he could shoot it from a different spot. At first, he’d been pretty shy about it, but as time progressed, he seemed more and more comfortable. Every once and awhile, they would share a moment- just a moment, but it always felt so much longer- of eye contact that made Noctis feel… something. Something that he preferred not to think about. 

 

They were running this song, his dance duet with Luna, for the third time in a row now. They’d had to restart it once because Luna had messed up the footwork and knocked both of them flat on their asses with one misstep and once more on Prompto’s request. It was the only time during the musical that Noctis had an actual character. His part was totally silent, strictly dancing, as Luna sang about an ex-lover that had betrayed her and stabbed her in the back. Noctis, thanks to his position as the assistant choreographer, had naturally gotten the part. 

 

Off to stage right, Luna retook her starting position, sitting on a chair (well, since Gladio was still building the set, she was sitting on a box that was  _ supposed _ to be a box) with her head in her hands as she began to sing. 

 

Noctis entered from stage left, throwing his all into the dance, the moves already second nature after months of working on them during and outside of rehearsals. He’d written this number himself; it was the only one in the show that was entirely his. He’d put his all into writing it and, honestly, it showed. It was one of the show’s most strenuous routines, sure, with lots of lifts and fast movements, but Luna excelled at controlling her singing while also letting him lead her around the stage. 

 

Three minutes later, they were both panting heavily, with Luna cradling a dying Noctis’ head, as Ignis told the crew that it was time for a lunch break. The theater filled with cheers. 

 

Noctis hadn’t had the forethought to pack a lunch, but thankfully they were right next to a shitty fast food shop, so he managed to dart over there and back with minimal time waste. He was back in the theatre in under ten minutes, finding himself glancing around the auditorium for a seat. Luna and Iris were nowhere to be seen and Ignis was off to gods only knew where. He was just about to throw in the towel and resign himself to eating alone when his eyes landed on Prompto. The blond was sitting off on his own in the corner, a sandwich in one hand and his camera in another. Noctis guessed that he was going through the pictures he’d already taken to see if there were any he could work with. 

 

Noctis was just about to look away when Prompto glanced up and totally caught him staring red handed. Noctis was really grateful for the low lighting all of a sudden, so incredibly grateful that it hid the way his face was burning. Prompto, to his pleasant surprise, didn’t seem too bothered by the staring, and instead actually smiled, waving at him. 

 

Noctis froze for a moment, trying to decide what his next move was before thinking a brief  _ fuck it _ and waving back. Before he realized it, his feet were moving, taking him over to the row Prompto was lounging in.

 

“Is this seat taken?” he heard himself ask, his finger pointing at the open spot next to the photographer. 

 

Prompto shook his head, “Nope! All yours, dude.” 

 

Noctis sat down. 

 

They sat in silence for a moment. 

 

It really should have been awkward. After all, this was, like, the second time they’d met and neither of them was saying a world. It should have been awkward, especially for Noctis, who felt incredibly uncomfortable around strangers and sometimes just around people in general. But it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Noctis didn’t feel the urge to speak and feel the silence or to run away and spend his lunch break alone. Sitting with Prompto in silence was actually kind of nice.

 

After a minute or two, though, Prompto broke the silence. 

 

“So, Insomnia U, huh?” he asked, nodding towards Noctis’ shirt.

 

Noctis glanced down at his shirt for a second before remembering what the hell he’d thrown on that morning. “Oh, yeah.”

 

“I actually go there, too,” Prompto told him cheerfully. “I’m surprised I haven’t seen you around before.”

 

“What do you study?” Noctis asked.

 

“Photography,” Prompto answered, waving his camera to emphasize his point. 

 

“And that’s why,” Noctis said. At Prompto’s confused look, he explained, “I’m stuck in the business buildings for all my classes.”

 

Prompto wrinkled his nose at that and Noctis had to admit that it was pretty damn cute. Somehow he hadn’t noticed before, but Prompto had a million and a half freckles scattered over his nose and cheeks and now they squished together as he expressed his distaste for Noctis’ classes. “Business? Yuck- I mean, no offense, but-”

 

Noctis’ surprised both of them. “Nah, it’s okay. I hate it, too.”

 

“You do?” Prompto asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

 

“You’ve never known true torture until you’ve spent three hours a week in Accuracy and Evolution of the Economic Records from Feudal Times to the Last Century, trust me,” Noctis said. 

 

“Holy shit, that sounds like the actual worst. And I thought statistics was bad,” Prompto said with a snort, taking a bite of his sandwich. 

 

“It was the worst. And the professor had this awfully thick country accent, so I couldn’t even understand him half the time, anyways.” Noctis straightened his shoulders and put on his best mimicry of the man’s accent, mocking him as he continued, “Now, class, if y’all would turn to page fifty-seven in your books, we’re going to be discussing the behemoth horn price crisis of the sixth century.” 

 

“Gods damn,” Prompto said, laughing at Noctis’ truly awful impersonation. Noctis immediately wanted to make him laugh again, just to see the way his eyes crinkled slightly as the sound filled the air around them. “What a nightmare.”

 

“Yeah, it was a miracle I ended up passing,” Noctis admitted, inwardly cringing as he remembered his final grade.

 

“Understandable for sure,” Prompto assured him. 

 

The silence returned for a long pause. It took all of Noctis’ self control to keep from watching Prompto out of the corner of his eye as he munched on a fry. 

 

“By the way, did you ever end up beating that boss?” Prompto asked.

 

Noctis stared at him for a second, confused, before remembering their conversation at the coffeeshop and mentally kicking himself for blanking. “Oh, yeah. It took me a solid hour and a half after I stopped in, though.”

 

Prompto whistled. “Jeez, man. You have way more patience than I do.”

 

“Not a chance,” Noctis admitted, shrugging. “I was just too stubborn to quit.”

 

Prompto nodded to say that he understood.

 

“The sad thing, though,” Noctis continued, “is that I haven’t played it since. The new Assassin’s Creed game finally dropped and I’ve devoted all of my time to it.”

 

“Dude, I am so jealous you have no idea!” Prompto exclaimed, shaking his head. “I went to buy it a few days ago and they were all sold out. I was so fucking heartbroken, man.”

 

“It’s really good, honestly. Easily one of their best,” Noctis told him.

 

Maybe it was the wistful look in Prompto’s eyes or maybe it was just the fact that Noctis really liked talking to Prompto, but he found himself saying, “You could come over sometime to play it, if you want.”

 

Prompto didn’t answer for a moment and Noctis’ heart was pounding in his chest. What was he thinking? Hell, he never even invited Ignis or Gladio to his apartment, why the hell was he extending an invitation to a near stranger? Sure, he was a cute stranger and they seemed to be getting along pretty well, and Noctis did sort of want to spend more time with him… but Prompto wasn’t saying anything and, honestly, it was stressing Noctis out. 

 

He was just about to take it back and try and pretend he’d never said anything when a big grin spread over Prompto’s face. 

 

“I’d love that, dude,” he said.

 

Noctis, breathing a sigh of relief couldn’t help but return the grin with one of his own. 

 

“Here, give me your phone,” Prompto said, holding out his hand. Noctis dug the stupid thing out of his pockets, handing it over without hesitation. Prompto typed on it for a handful of seconds before handing it back. “There ya go, now you can text me and we can figure out when we can hang out.” 

 

He was still grinning at Noctis and the warm feeling in the pit of Noctis’ stomach was refusing to leave, taking up rent for as long as Prompto was looking at him like  _ that _ . Prompto had a very expressive face, it seemed, and now he looked like he was overjoyed because of  _ Noctis _ . Noctis couldn’t remember the last time someone had genuinely looked at him like that. It made his heart hurt a little.

 

Before he could say anything in reply, the bell sounded, filling the air with its deafening sound, making both of them wince. 

 

“Does that mean lunch is over?” Prompto asked, frowning at his half eaten sandwich.

 

“Yeah,” Noctis groaned, realizing his own lunch was barely gone, “It does.” 

 

“All right,” Ignis called, entering the center door behind them, his voice carrying throughout the room, “Set up to run from scene 13. Now, please.”

 

Noctis, unsurprisingly, was just as distracted during the afternoon rehearsal as he was during the morning.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not gonna lie, i rewrote this chapter like 4 times. it was originally noctis' pov, then it was prompto's twice, before i finally settled on going back and trying to make it noctis' again,,, hopefully with some success. writing his pov was a little trickier (and angsty-er lmao) than prompto's, but i had fun with it!
> 
> also rip to "i wanna upload every saturday!" i'm gonna stick to trying to upload every weekend just to make it a little easier on myself! i'll try and post updates on my twitter for anyone interested, too
> 
> as always, i really hope y'all enjoyed it and please leave a kudos and a comment if u do! they make me cry happy tears at work at three in the morning, tbh
> 
> and, feel free to hmu on twitter or tumblr @renstxne if u want to talk ffxv, fic, about ur day, or naruto with me! (i wish that last part was a joke but i finally decided to watch naruto as a "things i have to do before i'm 2 decades old" resolution and i'm honestly loving it ok) 
> 
> thanks for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> hi! thank u so much for reading this far! i was absolutely dying to write a slice of life-y (and incredibly overdramatic) college au style fic! i'm gonna try and upload every saturday! i'm actually really nervous to post this (idek why) but i hope u liked it!
> 
> big thanks to jess (restlyroaming- go check out her amazing fics!) for letting me throw ideas for this fic at her and being so kind and supportive! 
> 
> please leave a comment and kudos if u liked it, and feel free to hmu on twitter or tumblr (@renstxne)! pls i need friends smh


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